Tropical island of your dreams

This elegant hideaway on the sands of Kamala Beach is hard to beat.

Tropical island of your dreams

By Kristie Kellahan

Updated April 1, 2025, first published April 21, 2023

This elegant hideaway on the sands of Kamala Beach is hard to beat.

THE BACKSTORY

Opened in January 2020, just before the pandemic led to tourism shutdowns in Thailand, the 221-room luxury resort still feels shiny and new. Purpose-built by IHG on laidback Kamala Beach, this is as good as Phuket gets.

InterContinental Phuket Resort's infinity-edge pool with ocean views.

THE SETTING

On a prime beachfront location on the western side of Phuket island, the resort is less than 40 minutes from the international airport. Those who remember the 2004 tsunami may know that Kamala Beach was significantly affected. The only visible reminder today is a memorial park.

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Despite dozens of visits to Thailand, I've never been drawn to Phuket and its party hotspot Patong. Kamala Beach is a different place altogether, elegant and relaxing, with a tranquil beach for swimming and watching the sunset. The resort occupies two sites, beachside and mountainside, divided by a busy main road. To go between the two, guests walk or take a golf buggy ride through a tunnel that runs underneath the road.

The resort's gleaming reception.

THE STYLE

It's sleek and sophisticated, yet unpretentious. No Chang beer T-shirts spotted in this crowd. The only time I change out of beach gear and thongs is to dress up for dinner at Jaras (more on that later). With five gorgeous swimming pools, plus the magnetic pull of the beach, everything is geared towards relaxation and rejuvenation.

THE ROOMS

The resort is fully booked during my stay, so it's not possible to upgrade from a Classic Room to one of the other room types, including Premium with Ocean View, Club Pool Villa and Beachside Suite. Still, at 43 square metres, the Classic Room with a large balcony is spacious, airy and impressive. I love the deep bathtub, especially as premium bath and body products from Thai brand Harnn are provided.

Jaras restaurant specialises in modern Thai cuisine.

THE FOOD

There are no less than six dining destinations. Start the day at Pinto, with one of the best and most extensive hotel breakfast buffets I've ever seen. Local Thai and Asian dishes (grilled pork with sticky rice, made-to-order noodle bar, dumplings, fried rice) sit alongside waffles, pancakes, fresh fruit, pastries, cheese and more.

For lunch and dinner, there's a terrific beachfront cafe, a Japanese restaurant or fine-dining at newly opened Hom (there's already a waitlist). I dine at Jaras, the Michelin-recommended Thai restaurant, where chefs work cheerfully in an open kitchen to send out exquisite Massaman goat curry, charcoal-grilled lobster and choo chee tiger prawns.

The hotel's luxe spa.

THE ACTION

One night I take a 10-minute taxi ride to Kamala Beach town centre (more like a village) for a Thai foot massage and night-market shopping. There are enough restaurants and bars there to satisfy the curious, but I don't feel compelled to go back a second time when there is so much to enjoy at the resort. The Sati Spa, for example, offers Asia-inspired treatments, wellness rituals and traditional healing practices that can be a powerful antidote to stress and fatigue. I float back to my room for a restorative nap after the Sati Mindfulness Massage, a blissful combination of yoga, Thai massage and crystal sound therapy.

UNFORGETTABLE

For me, the glorious memory that lingers is swimming at sunset in the warm Andaman Sea. I'm fortunate to stay at many beautiful hotels and resorts, but rarely do I have tears in my eyes when I have to leave.